Family Home Evening - Plant a Garden

Plant a Garden

Scripture or Quote:

D&C 59: 16-19

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the afulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;
17 Yea, and the herb, and the agood things which come of the earth, whether for food or for braiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the abenefit and the buse of man, both to please the eye and to cgladden the heart;
19 Yea, for afood and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to bstrengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

Purpose:

President Spencer W. Kimball called upon Latter-day Saints everywhere to produce their own food. For several years, he asked each family to have its own garden. He said: “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments … can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 170–71; or Ensign, May 1976, 124).

Opening Song: Faith – CSB 96

Lesson:

When President Kimball asked each of us to grow a garden, he reminded us of the words of the Lord: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

There are good reasons for this counsel from our prophets. Gardening has many benefits. It expands our appreciation of nature. It teaches the family to work together. When we have a garden that produces well, we are not entirely dependent on others for food. We can select crops we like that provide a nutritious diet. Growing our own food gives us the satisfaction of providing for ourselves. We can also trade produce with our neighbors, save money, and help those in need.

Begin with a Plan

Before we can actually plant our gardens, we must make some decisions.

Where to Plant

First we must decide where to plant the garden. A garden needs the best location possible. It will become a valuable piece of land. Choose a sunny location with at least six hours of sunlight each day. Check the soil. Some soil is so sandy that it cannot retain water or so full of clay that water collects in puddles on top and runs through very slowly.

What to Plant

The second decision we will have to make is what to plant. Some gardens have plenty of space; others have only a little. If space is limited, choose crops that grow upward, such as berry vines, pole beans, or tomatoes on stakes. Choose seeds that bear heavily, such as squash and tomatoes, rather than crops, such as radishes, that produce only one fruit or vegetable from a single seed.

Be sure to choose foods that will give your family the nutrients they need. But avoid planting foods they do not like and will not eat. Also be sure to select foods that grow well in your climate and soil.

It is a good idea to draw a map of your garden each year while planning. The same plants should not grow in the same spot year after year. If crops are not alternated, the soil will become poorer and poorer, and crops will not grow well.

When to Plant

Another decision we must make is when to plant. Each food grows best under its most favorable conditions. Some crops grow better in a dry season, while others prefer more water. Some crops—beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, and spinach—grow best in cooler weather. Others—beans, corn, melons, squash, and tomatoes—grow best in warmer weather.

As a family decide where your garden will be, what you will plant, and when you will plant it. If it is the time of year to plant, do so! People who live in homes or apartments without yards can still have a garden. Plants can be grown in small pots.

We can show that we love the Lord and trust Him by doing as His prophets have asked us. Each of us will receive blessings if we will plan and prepare our gardens and then care for them so that they will be orderly and produce well. President Kimball counseled: “Keep your lawns and your gardens well-groomed. Whatever your circumstances, let your premises reflect orderliness, beauty, and happiness. Plan well and carry out your plan in an orderly and systematic manner” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 171; or Ensign, May 1976, 125).

Closing Song: The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden – CSB 237

Treat:

For your treat pick some vegetables or fruits that you can grow in a garden. A recipe for a yummy dip is:

Delicious Dip

1/2 cup of shredded cucumber
1 clove of garlic, finely minced (read invisible small pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
2 cups of plain yogurt
herbs to taste

1.Wash, peel and shred cucumber.
2.Finely mince the garlic into very small pieces
3.Combine garlic, salt and cucumber in a small bowl.
4.Combine olive oil, lemon juice and yogurt in a medium bowl, stirring to mix well.
5.Add in cucumber/garlic to the yogurt mix.
6.Gently stir to evenly distribute all ingredients.
7.(Optional) Garnish with finely diced dill, mint or parsley.

Use as a dip with veggies, crackers, or torn homemade bread. Delicious and healthy!

Prepared by the Harrisville 2nd Ward EP Committee
Source: www.lds.org

Family Home Evening - Water Storage

Water Storage

Scripture or Quote:

We can live a few weeks without food; we can only live a number of day without water. President Spencer W. Kimball said, "The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, p 8).

Purpose:

What if your children were separated from you during a traumatic event? Would they know they need drinking water within three to five days or they might die? This week's FHE lesson will empower your kids and help them to make a difference in storing life-giving water for your family.

Opening Song: Prayer of Thanksgiving – H 93

Lesson:

Items needed:

whiteboard & markers (if available, otherwise paper & pen)
pack of chewing gum or package of gold stars

To begin the lesson, read Elder L. Tom Perry's words from the following quote. Ask for a volunteer to explain what Elder Perry's concern is for the members of the Church:

Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life ... As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness" ("If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, Nov 1995, 36).

Allow the volunteer to put in their own words Elder Perry's big concern.

Ask the family to brainstorm what needs to be stored to keep a family alive if the grocery stores stopped receiving food. Ask for another volunteer to be "scribe" and to write the family's ideas on the board (or piece of paper).

Without notice or explanation, ask the family what their plans are for this coming Saturday. Then write one word on the board: water (or if already there, circle it). Explain that without water, everyone in the family will be dead by Saturday, unable to carry out those plans. Simply explain, "Our bodies need drinkable water to survive. In five days’ time without water, we die."

Explain you will now have a scavenger hunt for as many items as possible to store water. Explain the children have five minutes to find those items. For every item found, the child receives one stick of gum or a gold star. On your marks, get set, go!

Once the five minutes is up, have everyone gather in the kitchen to either demonstrate their found items or at least list possible water storage units. Explain that sometimes cities lose their ability to provide water. But even if that happened, it won't be a problem for the family, because your family is going to be ready.

Fill up a pitcher of water and give each person one glass to drink. Ask how long that one pitcher of water would last for the whole family? Have a quick math-scramble to see how many pitchers of water each person would need stored to keep them alive for five days (at eight glasses of water/day)? Amplify that amount by the number of individuals in the family. Does the family have enough water stored right now stored to keep them alive until Saturday? What about beyond Saturday? If not, ask what each one can do to change that.

Applaud their answers. Remind them that sometimes preparing for emergencies requires sacrifice: sacrifice of time actually storing the water and sacrifice of money sometimes to buy water storage containers. But sacrifice brings blessings, peace, and safety!

Activity:

Set a goal as a family that by Saturday, you will have ____ gallons of water actually stored for your family. Ensure that every person knows where the water is stored and how to access it (i.e. 55-gallon barrels require special siphons to get to the water. Make sure the kids know how to use those if you have this kind of water storage container.) Here is a link to appropriate water storage containers.

Let the kids know that next week's FHE lesson will be a crazy Einstein "lab" on purifying water from streams or other places if they still needed more water (See Water Purification Lesson). But until then, applaud their aid in helping the family store water both tonight and during the coming week.

Closing Song: Do What is Right – H 237


Treat:

Frozen popsicles. Remind the kids that the popsicles are made of water. While slurping on the delicious treats, brainstorm as a family as many items as possible that use water for food or for drink.


Prepared by the Harrisville 2nd Ward EP Committee
Source: www.meridianmagazine.com/familyhome/080319store.html

Family Home Evening - Food Storage

Food Storage

Scripture or Quote:

The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear, as guaranteed to us by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants: “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). (L.Tom Perry, "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear", Ensign, Nov 1995, 35).

Purpose:

The prophets have asked us to have a year’s supply of food storage for each member of our family. Food storage includes grains like wheat, flour, rice, and oats. It also can include fruits and vegetables that are canned in a jar to preserve them. Have you ever eaten canned foods before? Canned foods are great because fresh produce can be saved for a later time and be eaten.

Opening Song: Do as I’m Doing (pretend to put food on the shelf or pick from a garden) CSB 276

Lesson:

Diana Faught, “Katie’s Peaches,” Friend, Aug. 2003, 18

Six-year-old Katie loves peaches. But she lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it is too hot for peaches to grow well. Luckily she has a neighbor named Daun who knows a lot about growing fruits and vegetables. He and his wife, Alice, have a peach tree that grows big, beautiful, very tasty peaches.

One day Alice came over with a big bag full of peaches. “Would you like some peaches?” she asked. “This year we seem to have more than usual.”

Katie’s mom thanked her and took the peaches into the kitchen. She washed them and put them into the refrigerator.

Later that week, while Katie was at a friend’s house, Mom bottled all of the peaches in big glass jars for their food storage. When Katie got home, she cried, “What did you do to my peaches? Now I don’t have any to eat.”

“I’m sorry,” Mom said. “The next time Alice brings over peaches, I’ll be sure to save you some.”

A few days later, Alice brought more peaches. Katie helped Mom wash them. Then she watched Mom put most of them in boiling water. After they were dipped in cold water, Katie cut them in half with a butter knife. She couldn’t help tasting a piece. She kept tasting pieces until she got full.

“Mommy, why are we putting my big, beautiful peaches into these glass jars?” she asked.
Her mother explained that they were for food storage. “We are going to do what Joseph in Egypt did.” Katie wanted to hear about Joseph, so while they bottled the peaches, Mom told her the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. She told Katie about how his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, where he became a friend of Pharaoh. She explained that Joseph told Pharaoh to store food during the seven years when there was lots of it. Then they could eat it during the seven years when there would be very little food for them.

“The prophet has asked us to store food while we can, because we may need it later,” she said. Katie wanted to follow the prophet, so she decided that putting the peaches in bottles was a good idea. She had learned a lot more than how to bottle fruit.

Katie didn’t want to wait for a famine, though. She was glad that they had saved some of the big, beautiful, very tasty peaches for her to eat right away.

Questions:

• How many different ways can you think of to use a jar of peaches?
• What other foods could you can?
• Why is canning a good idea for your food storage?
• What is a famine? (for older children)
• How could following the prophet help the people of Egypt at the time of the famine? (for older children)
• How can canning help us follow the prophet?

If we are prepared with our food storage we won’t have to worry in times of a famine or storm. Just like Noah brought food for his family and the animals in the ark, we can store our own food in our “ark” in our food storage.

Activity:

• Play “Food BINGO”-Place a button on the food storage item when it is called out.
• Food Storage Match up - Match up the food storage items and talk about how you could help each other as a family (draw pictures of food storage items or labels/boxes and cut them in half to match up)
• Food Scavenger Hunt- make a list of food storage items and have the children search to find where they can be found
• Go to the orchard and pick peaches or other fruits and vegetables. Eat right away or can them.

Cut these strips of paper apart to call out the BINGO squares. For BINGO markers, cut up colored construction paper or use coins or buttons.

Use clipart for games as desired:

Closing Song: We Are Not Ashamed to Own Our Lord – H 57

Treat:

Applesauce Cake

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vinegar

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in liquid ingredients completely. Pour into an ungreased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Use items only from your food storage to make a treat (including powdered milk, eggs, etc.).

Other Activities:

1. During the “harvest season”, go as a family to a local farm and pick fruits and vegetables for home or for canning.
2. Read the story of the famine found in Genesis 41. How could the people have prepared for this famine?
3. Read D&C 89 and decide how these foods could be put into your food storage.
4. Visit the local cannery and purchase food storage items. (Adults can also work in the cannery to help can their foods).
5. Make an inventory of your food storage. Do you have enough for everyone in your family for 3, 6, 12 months?
6. Have a Canning Day. Learn how to can produce bought from the farm, bought from the store, or grown in your family garden.
7. Match food storage items to letters of the alphabet on index cards.
8. Play grocery store with the food storage items.
9. Choose a day each week or month to have a food storage meal night. Eat only from your food storage for that meal.
10. Plant, harvest, and store your food from your family garden. Have a family workday to work in the garden. Share your harvest with other families.
11. Talk about the “sealing” process involved in canning and relate it to a forever family. Read “Preserving JAM (and Families)” in FRIEND July 2004 p. 4-6.
12. List ways to “preserve” your family during trials, tribulations, and outside influences.
13. Read “Canning Jars and Prophets” in FRIEND October 2006 p. 38-39.
14. Read “Year’s Supply Bread” in FRIEND April 1994 p. 8.
15. Read “The Anderson’s Ark” in FRIEND Nov. 1990 p. 9-10.
16. Grocery shop for food storage items each week. (See “Food Storage for $5 a Week” handout).
17. Date your canned goods, jars, and other food storage items when you get home from the store. Don’t forget to rotate!
18. Refer to Essentials of Home Production and Storage (Distribution Center).
19. Refer to Blue Book of Preserving (canning guidebook).


Prepared by the Harrisville 2nd Ward EP Committee
Source: SugarDoodle.net (FHE by: Janetta Graham)

Family Home Evening - Making a Survival Kit

Making a Survival Kit

Scripture or Quote:

"It has been asked ... how many of us would have jeered ... at ... the sight of Noah building his ark. Presumably the laughter ... continued until it began to rain — and kept raining! How wet some people must have been before Noah's ark suddenly seemed the only sane act" (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, For the Power is in Them, p 20).

Purpose:

Outdoor activities are no fun when someone gets lost. Adequate preparation will usually keep this from happening, but some simple equipment can prepare a family member to survive if he does get lost. This activity will teach family members to make a lightweight survival kit that they can easily carry with them.

Opening Song: As Zion’s Youth in Latter Days – H 256

Lesson:

First make sure that family members understand a few simple rules:

1. Wear a shrill whistle around your neck when you are hiking or fishing in an isolated area.

2. Tell someone where you are going and when you are coming back. Don't leave the camping area by yourself.

3. Orient yourself to the area and do not explore longer or farther away than your family feels is safe.

4.Remember when you are lost to—

• Keep calm, find a sheltered place, and stay put. Get out into the open if planes are overhead.
• Build a fire if possible, conserve your heat and energy.
• Mark your location. Move out from it to seek familiar landmarks and return to it.
• Shout, use a whistle, and concentrate on being found—not on finding someone.
• Prepare for the night, gather wood, build a shelter before dark.

Activity:

Have all family members help construct a survival kit. Make sure they know how to use each item. The following items can be put in a 2 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-16 1/2-inch (6-by-11-by-16-cm) leather pouch and will weigh less than one pound (.5 kilograms).

Try each component in your backyard or on a simulated exercise to prepare yourself and your family for possible use.

Closing Song: Sing Your Way Home – CSB 193

Treat:

A great refreshment idea would be a power food bar of some sort, similar to something you would store in a survival kit.


Prepared by the Harrisville 2nd Ward EP Committee
Source: Family Home Evening Resource Manual

Family Home Evening - Emergency Supplies

Emergency Supplies

Scripture or Quote:

It was not raining when Noah built the ark. But he built it, and the rains came. The Lord has said, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear'” (D&C 38:30)

Purpose:

Do you have the supplies your family would need in case of emergency? Are those supplies in good working order and in a place where you could find them quickly? Or are they scattered all around your home? When emergency supplies are in a central place, your family will be better able to handle emergency situations. This activity will help your family gather and organize the emergency supplies that can make your family more secure.

Opening Song: Today While the Sun Shines – H 229

Lesson:

Recall together some emergencies that have happened in your home or area: a blackout in the city, someone's falling and bumping his head, someone's cutting his finger on a knife, or a fire in the kitchen. When these things happened, where did you find the supplies you needed? Did you have to search for candles or antiseptic or bandages? Perhaps you could not find or did not have what you needed.

Talk about how important it is to have emergency and safety supplies stored near the place where the emergency is most likely to happen and where everyone could find them quickly.

First decide where in your home you can put a central store of supplies.

Have a scavenger hunt in your home to find what items you already have to put into your emergency supplies. The items could include:

•A flashlight in good working condition.
•Extra batteries for radio and flashlight. Do not keep batteries in the flashlight or radio. Keep them in an airtight container.
•Portable battery powered radio. Use for receiving emergency instructions.
•Candles (bowl type). Keep in case of power failure. Bowl will help prevent fire in case candle is overturned. (You can make these inexpensively out of paraffin wax.)
•Wooden matches. Use for lighting candles and relighting pilots on gas appliances. Be sure matches are kept in a metal container out of the reach of small children.
•Fire extinguisher (ABC or dry chemical type for all classes of fires). Be sure you know how to handle and use it. Check it regularly.
•Fuses (if your home has a fuse box). Numbers on the end of the fuse indicate size. When replacing blown fuses, be sure the number on the end of the new fuse is the same as the number on the old fuse.
•First-aid instruction book.
•First-aid supplies. The following list suggests minimum items to be included in your first-aid kit.
•Aromatic spirits of ammonia—one unbroken tube
•Aspirin—100-count bottle
•Calamine lotion (for insect bites, hives from allergic reactions, or exposure to stinging nettle or poison ivy)—one tube
•Thermometer—one oral and one rectal for small children or babies
•Scissors and tweezers—one of each
•Safety pins—one package of assorted sizes
•Adhesive tape—one roll
•One large box of assorted adhesive bandages
•Matches (for sterilizing)—one box of wooden matches
•Absorbent cotton—one box
•Rubbing alcohol—one unbreakable bottle
•Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin or Bacitracin)—one tube
•Bicarbonate of soda (used for shock and upset stomach)—one box
•Diarrhea remedy (Kaopectate or Pepto Bismol)—one bottle
•Elastic bandages (for sprains and aches)—one 3-inch (about 7.5-cm) and one 6-inch (about 15-cm)
•Gauze—one roll
•Hot water bottle
•Hydrogen peroxide—one unbreakable bottle
•Ipecac syrup (induces vomiting)—one bottle
•Finger splints (popsicle sticks)—ten splints
•Roller bandages—two 1-inch (2.5-cm) and two 2-inch (5-cm)
•Three-by-three-inch (7.6-cm) sterile pads—one box
•Triangle bandages—four or more
•Hand soap—one bar
•Water purification pills and/or bottle of 2% tincture of iodine
•Eye drops and medicine dropper
•Razor blades
•Needles
•Measuring cups
•Knife
•Consecrated oil
•Soothing throat lozenges—one package

Place all these items in a waterproof container (metal, heavy plastic, or wooden). Also store blankets, sheets, and at least four thin board splints 30 inches (about 76 cm) long.

You may wish to add items to the kit as you need them. For example, if you have small children, you may wish to add liquid acetaminophen. If someone in the family needs special medication, add this to your kit.

Label your supplies, and date all medicines. Check supplies periodically, replacing them as they are used and throwing away old or contaminated supplies.

Do not throw old medicines into trash cans around the house, where small children could find and eat them. Instead, flush them down the toilet or dispose of them in some other safe way. Perishable items should be rotated regularly to reduce spoilage.

After you have gathered your safety supplies and decided what you need to buy, divide up assignments. Assign some family members to buy items you need, and others to label the items. Buy things as you can afford them. It may take a while to get all the supplies you would like to have.

After you have gathered and stored your supplies, you may want to have a series of family home evenings where you discuss how to use them.

Closing Song: Be Prepared (To the tune of Yankee Doodle)

Verse 1:
Our prophet's told us to prepare
For famine and disaster.
If we obey, our family will
Live happy ever after.

Chorus:
"Be prepared," our prophet said.
Store your wheat and honey.
Plant a garden; learn first aid;
And don't forget some money!

Verse 2:
When Father Noah built an ark,
The people laughed and shouted.
But when the rain began to pour,
Those people never doubted.
Chorus: Repeat

Verse 3:
We have been warned in latter days
There will be floods and earthquakes.
So put your house in order and
Prepare before the dam breaks!
Chorus: Repeat

Verse 4:
Please do not procrastinate.
Excuses have no muscle.
You'll never find a better time
Than NOW! So better hustle.
Chorus: Repeat

Treat:

Fruit Salsa and Sweet Chips

EZ Fruit Salsa

Here is a great way to get your kids to eat fruits!

1 lb. strawberries, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 peach, peeled and diced
8 oz. raspberries, sliced in halves
1/8 onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
dash salt and pepper

1.In a large bowl, combine fruit.
2.Add remaining ingredients and toss.
3.Cover bowl and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes or more (the longer it marinates, the better.
4.Remove and serve with Sweet Chips below.
(Optional: Rather than dicing or chopping by hand, use your food processor to "chunk" your fruit.)


Sweet Chips

6 flour tortillas
softened butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Coat top side of tortilla with very thin layer of butter.
3.Using a pizza wheel, slice tortillas into triangles.
4.Distribute evenly on a cookie sheet. Do not allow overlap.
5.Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
6.Bake (just a few minutes according to desired crispiness).
7.Remove from oven and let cool.
8.Serve with fruit salsa dip.


Extra Activities:

1. Hold a family home evening and invite neighbors and extended family members. Learn together what to do in emergency situations.
2. Take a first-aid course from a school or organization in your community.
3. Assign a family member to periodically inspect your supplies to make sure they are kept current.
4. Take your first-aid kit along on a trip or campout.
5. Put together a kit of emergency supplies to keep in your car. You could include the following:
•Standard first-aid kit
•Reflector and flares in case your car stalls on the road or is involved in an accident
•Flashlight and batteries
•Blanket to be used for shock, cold weather, fire, or other emergencies
•Tow chain
•Fire extinguisherFlat block to be used as a car jack support


Prepared by the Harrisville 2nd Ward EP Committee
Source: Family Home Evening Resource Manual